This invention relates to a nozzle and more particularly, to a nozzle which selectively emits a streaming sheet of material, thereby allowing the emitted material to be selectively deposited upon a surface and/or upon a targeted location in a desired manner.
Nozzles selectively emit various types of materials, such as and without limitation, paint, thereby allowing the selectively emitted material to be placed or deposited upon various objects and/or upon one or more xe2x80x9ctargetedxe2x80x9d locations in some desired pattern and/or concentration.
It is oftentimes desirable to cause the deposited material to form or include substantially xe2x80x9cwell-definedxe2x80x9d, relatively straight, xe2x80x9ccrispxe2x80x9d, and/or substantially xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d edges and/or borders in order to allow the deposited material to create an overall aesthetically pleasing appearance and/or to substantially increase the likelihood that only portions of the targeted location(s) or object(s) actually receive the emitted material. For example, vehicle paint striping should normally have well defined and relatively straight edges in order to properly enhance the overall appearance of the vehicle. Moreover, vehicle striping having multi-color (e.g., two or more) paint portions require the creation of relatively straight edges and/or a substantially xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d interface between each of the applied colored materials in order to provide the desired overall striping appearance.
While prior nozzles and nozzle assemblies selectively emit material and allow the selectively emitted material to be placed upon various objects and/or targeted locations, they do not readily provide these desired well-defined edges due to the creation and/or existence of a relatively turbulent xe2x80x9cshear layerxe2x80x9d of material which typically occurs at and/or along the edges of the emitted material.
There is therefore a need for a new and improved nozzle which allows material to be selectively emitted and deposited upon a targeted location and/or object, which allows the selectively deposited material to form substantially well-defined and/or substantially xe2x80x9ccrispxe2x80x9d, relatively straight and/or substantially xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d edges; which allows the deposited material to form and/or to provide an overall aesthetically pleasing appearance; and which substantially increases the likelihood that the selectively deposited material is deposited upon a targeted object and/or location.
It is a first object of the invention to provide a nozzle which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated disadvantages of prior nozzles and/or nozzle assemblies.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a nozzle which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated disadvantages of prior nozzles and nozzle assemblies and which includes an outlet aperture having a shape which is effective to cause the emitted material to form a streaming sheet.
It is a third object of the invention to provide a nozzle which overcomes some or all of the previously delineated disadvantages of prior nozzles and of prior nozzle assemblies and which includes an outlet aperture having a shape which is effective to cause the emitted material to form a streaming sheet, thereby allowing the selectively emitted material to be deposited upon an object and/or location in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
According to a first aspect of the present invention a nozzle is provided having an outlet aperture of a certain shape which causes selectively emitted material to form a streaming sheet.
These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, by reference to the attached claims, and by reference to the attached drawings.